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Red room and signalman

            How do the two stories "The Red Room" and "The Signalman" build up tension and suspense.
             The stories, "The Red Room" written by H.G wells and, "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens were both written in the Victorian era. At that time, the short story was a popular genre as a form of entertainment. Ghost stories and thrillers were particularly popular with the Victorian readers, therefore it was essential for the authors to build tension and suspense to keep the readers interest. .
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             "The Signalman" is a short story about a man who works for the railway company. There is also another character in this story. The Gentleman is the other character in the story. We never get to know his name. This is one way Charles Dickens built up tension, by making the Gentleman a mysterious character. We similary never get to know the Signalmans name either which adds to the mystery. Likewise we never get to know any names in "The Red Room". This is one similarity between the two stories. .
             "The Signalman" is set in a dark railway cutting with a signal box at one side of the railway track. The walls were made of clammy stones. We know this because Dickens says, "It was made of wet clammy stone". This too adds to the suspense that the book illustrates. The signal box itself is where most of the story is set.The railway box is tidely furnished. At the end of the railway cutting there is a dark duneon like tunnel. Another issue that adds to the mystery of "The Signalman" is the fact that it is always night in the story. The dark and night time is always linked to the thoughts of ghosts and evil spirits. .
             When a train goes past it makes a loud roar as it passes,"violent pulsation". This description tends to manufacture an image of a formidable strength. We are made to think of a monstor or some sort of supernatural force, yet it is merly just a train.
             The Signalmans appearance is a "dark sallow man" with a "dark beard and heavy eyebrows".


Essays Related to Red room and signalman

1. The red room

... ." " His eyes were covered by a shade, and his lower lip, half averted, hung pale and pink from his decaying yellow teeth," and "I caught a momentary glimpse of his eyes, small and bright and inflamed. The signalman The characters in the signalman are also very mysterious as they are in the red room, with very little background. There are two main characters, The signalman and the narrator. The signalman is a " dark sallow man, with ... a dark beard and rather heavy eyebrows," this adds to ... ...

  • Word Count: 1026
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Examine the setting in three victorian stories

English Literature Coursework Examine the settings that the writers have chosen for their stories in "The Signalman", "The Man With The Twisted Lip" and "The Red Room". Consider the effects that each writer has created and how they contribute to the atmosphere. The three stories were all written in a style that attempts to hold the reader in suspense. Dickens creates suspense by allowing the story to ... provide a solution to the mystery of the Red Room. The authors of these stories all lived through a period of change that affected people's lives on all levels. The Victorian era was a time o...

  • Word Count: 2158
  • Approx Pages: 9

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